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2020 Subaru Outback Review & Buying Guide | All hail the mighty wagon!

It may not look it, but the 2020 Subaru Outback is a completely redesigned model. Eager to keep its snowball of success rolling, Subaru chose to evolve and refine its popular, genre-bending utility vehicle rather than re-inventing the wheel. The key improvements can be found inside, where swaths of padded simulated leather are pretty much everything, creating an overall environment that's more pleasant for your eyes and fingers. Even the armrests are pleasantly squishier than before. Ultimately, though, the cabin's show-stopper is the massive vertically oriented touchscreen found on most trim levels. Mechanically, the 2020 Outback sees the welcome return of a turbocharged engine upgrade – good news for those living at higher elevations – but the overall driving experience remains familiarly comfortable yet drably uninvolving. The near-constant beeping and flashing of the car's over-eager standard safety nannies will at least keep you awake. The Outback's overall packaging also remains on par, boasting a more spacious and comfortable back seat than compact SUVs can manage along with a cargo area that's basically an unending void for your stuff. And if that's not enough, it has the most useful roof rails in the industry. Basically, if you need your utility vehicle for actual utility, the Outback remains a superior choice. The changes for 2020 just make it a more pleasant place for repeat customers and a more appealing alternative for those otherwise considering SUVs. What's new for 2020? The Outback was completely redesigned for 2020. What's the Outback's interior and in-car technology like? It's all about the screen. Nearly every 2020 Outback comes with a vertically oriented 11.6-inch touchscreen (and even that lone exception comes with a pair of 7-inch units, pictured above right). Its functionality isn't flawless, as the audio controls when using Apple CarPlay are compromised, and the colorful cartoonish graphics have an aftermarket look to them. Still, it's generally easy to use, read and reach. Feature content is excellent as well (see pricing and features section below). Unfortunately, typical for Subaru, stereo sound quality is poor in the standard four- and six-speaker systems. In terms of design, we can't say the new Outback is especially attractive, but at least an influx of better materials elevates the overall ambiance.

2018 Subaru Forester joins the black-out bandwagon with Black Edition

People apparently love black-painted trim. Nissan, Chevrolet, and Honda have all recently offered special-edition packages to ditch chrome and color-coded parts for the dark hue, and Subaru is the latest to join the party. Its offering comes in the form of the 2018 Forester Black Edition. The package is only available on the 170-horsepower, naturally aspirated, Forester 2.5i Premium. It also costs an extra $1,150. For that money, you get the following in the eponymous color: 18-inch wheels, fog light trim, badges, mirror caps, and the grille. Inside, the interior is also black. The steering wheel and shifter are leather-wrapped, and the upholstery is cloth with faux leather bolsters. The package isn't all aesthetics, though. It also comes with steering LED headlights and paddle shifters for the CVT, allowing the driver to pick from six preset ratios. The latter feature was previously exclusive to the turbocharged Forester 2.0XT. The package also comes on the heels of the 2018 model introduction. There aren't many notable updates to this year's Forester, however. All trim levels except Touring increase in price by $200. All Touring models jump by $1,795. The Touring's large price jump comes with now-standard reverse automatic emergency braking and high-beam assist. The 2.0XT Touring also now has torque vectoring similar to that in the WRX line. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Subaru Forester Black Edition Image Credit: Subaru Subaru Crossover Economy Cars

You can almost make out the shape of the new Subaru Crosstrek

Subaru released a shadowy teaser of the redesigned XV hatchback which will debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show. The car will be called the Crosstrek in the United States. We can't see much from this dark image, but it looks like the sides have more creases and definition than the current model, which has been on sale since 2013 with only minor changes. Subaru showed the XV concept at Geneva last year with wild wheels, sharp headlights, severe side cuts, and prominent off-road-style body cladding. Naturally, we expect a more toned-down version in production trim. Subaru confirmed the new vehicle will offer its Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system (we'd be stunned if it didn't). The Crosstrek will also employ Subaru's new Global Platform, which is more rigid and has a lower center of gravity. These modular underpinnings will be used on all of its next-generation models and debuted on the Impreza. The Crosstreck was called the Crosstrek XV in the US market for several years and also offered a hybrid version, which was dropped. Crosstrek sales in the US increased 7.6 percent last year to 95,677 units, placing it third behind the Outback and Forester in Subaru's portfolio. Related Video: